He Smells Good

Chapter V

In view of the fact that their pace was relatively slow, they arrived later than they had anticipated. The shadow of the perfectly textured mountain came into view in the stretch. They made their way towards it as they had to arrive before nightfall or their travel may not be deemed safe to continue anymore. The day was coming to an end when they crossed the outer barrier GusuLan Sect activated.

The forest they entered was viridescent and primitive. The mossy green forest looked like a sea of deep green plant life. Arctic-cold wind greeted them as it whistled around the trunks, disturbing the peace of the leaves. The deeper they moved forward, the more they felt like the rich grass they were walking on was essentially like wandering on a natural deep green carpet.

Fallen leaves, logs, and branches littered all over the area. Small animals were sometimes spotted crawling and flying out from time to time. They were in awe of the tremendousness and grandeur of the trees. Their woods were overgrown with moss as pores engulfed them. Their corkscrew arms extended upwards, as if they were reaching for the sky.

Wei WuXian lifted his face, letting the sun's fading light and the shadows of leaves prance across the splendid skin of his bewitching portrait. He gawked at the trees that were ever aloft, as far as his head could lift. A glint of fascination peeked in his eyes.

Jiang WanYin glanced at him and laughed, "You better look where you're going or you'll bump into a tree. I have no inclination to bringing back a dead body with me."

Wei WuXian eyed him with a threatening look. "Can't I be injured at least? Dying seems beyond the bounds of possibility. You made it escalate too quickly."

He shrugged, "Whatever you say, dage."

Wei WuXian shook his head in hilarity. With his eyes closed, he puffed out a whiff; his exhaled breaths took shape that was visible to the naked eye and immediately disappeared just as swiftly as it came to be. The gust of cold air that kissed his cheeks and neck made him shudder.

"Does being hungry make me feel the cold more than usual or is it really just that cold up here?" he wondered.

His breath hitched, contemplating whether to eat or not. After a couple of minutes he groaned loudly in annoyance. His voice rang throughout the hushed forest of the mountain as it caused everyone to flinch in surprised, baffled as to what was happening with their young master.

Wei WuXian felt for the satchel attached to his horse's saddle. He furrowed his eyebrows when the said object didn't land in his grasps. He turned his head in exasperation and twisted his body to reach out for the bag. He shuffled through the remaining edibles and grabbed an apple. Tossing the satchel back, he took a first bite with a loud 'crunch'.

When all was said and done, the path up ahead started becoming more irradiated. Two dots of yellow lights crackled and flickered from the distance, flooding its surrounding areas with brilliancy. The fixed fire tore the trees from their silhouettes, proudly penetrating itself into the darkness. It created a layer of bright sheet that directed them so as to approach the entrée.

Two large torches both rested on the two humongous jade pillars. Ancient writings were engraved in each of them, furnishing them with an antiquated touch. In between them was another one of GusuLan's barrier, it was the inner one, glowing a translucent blue radiance. The shorts set of stairs were seen through the transparent blockade.

At the base stood two emotionless men dressed in all white, the usual uniforms of GusuLan Sect's disciples. The corners of their hair were neatly tied back so that not even a single strand was covering their handsome yet aloof faces. On their foreheads were the usual forehead-ribbons decorated with brocade of pale blue clouds. Their clothes that seemed to be owned by an immortal rhythmically moved to the direction of the wind.